I know this topic has been touched upon, but I just wanted to get a few opinions. I currently have a 18-14-10 quiver on the way (I've been waiting on it for about a month now)...and I'm starting to get cold feet about the sizes. I read ryansurf1's post about changing up sizes and I'm thinking the same may happen with me.

I weigh about 82kg (~180lbs) and will ride a 130 board. The winds here are generally pretty light, but I'd like to be equipped from about 10 mph or so to at least 25 or 30 mph. I think the 21m will suit me better for the light winds...but I'm just wondering if there is good overlap between the 21 and the 16. Is the 16 a good all-around kite for say 15-22 mph (assuming I can fly the 21 to up to 15 mph). Or would I be better off with the 18-14 combo. I will be likely be using the two biggest kites 95% of the time.

I have 14m and 18m Nem and I have only ridden the 18 once and the 14m three times but I think I have a feel for them. I am lighter than you at 165lbs and have used the kites with a 135 and a 128. I could barely hang onto the 18 at 18 knots on my bigger board. The 14 is good up to maybe 25 on my small slow board.

The 18m starts being fun in about 12 knots and with a bigger board would work in less but my 135 is 15.5" wide and is fast so it is as big as I want to go. The 14 needs about 14 to be enjoyable for me.

If you kite in smooth water the 18m quiver might work because you can keep up your board speed. If the water is choppy even when light you might want the 21M.

Sorry this isn't difinitive data but I hope it helps. By the way, I really like having two boards to extend the range of my kites. It is a lot easier to grab a different board than pump another kite.

I guess I'd rather have a little too much kite (21-16-12), than be caught with too little. So I may decide to upsize. For me its all about getting the most use out of my kites, and I'd say there are more light wind days than heavy wind days.

I'll keep you posted on which ones I end up with and how they work out. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Hey LSU first, were do you kite? I go to N.O. on occasion and have eyed the big ass lake by city park. No kiters though.

I don't want to sway your choice, but i think you kinda touched on it in your last post. You say you get less wind more often. The 21, 16, 12 is probably a better choice imo.

The 21 will get you out and having fun in less wind, then the 18, no doubt. It is an awesome big kite, and doesn't feel so big. 15mph with that kite is great fun. After that the 16 works well. When you have enough wind the 16 will be more fun as it 'feels' smaller then the 18. Faster flying, turning and vertical boost. I don't think you will have problems holding the 16 down up to sustained 20mph.

The 12 will hold alot of wind (i guess). When i had the previuos combo i never broke out the 10 as i held the 14 in some pretty good wind. Sustained 23mph with 30+ gusts. How often do you get +25 mph days? Then the question would be 9 Yarga or 8 Nem for the bottom. I will not have to worry about that until next season (fall), nor will you, i assume.

I say super size if it is not going to screw up your order and a few more bucks won't kill the budget. Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for the reply, ryansurf. The kiters here usually ride either in lake pontchartrain or on the Mississippi gulf coast. I'm pretty new to the sport though and the launch into Lake Ponchartrain is kind of tricky. So i'm riding the gulf coast until I get a bit more sure of myself.

Winds will be pretty light from now until fall. And there aren't many days over 25 mph hour during any season (except for the occasional hurricane). So I think upsizing the kites might be the way to go (I've just gotta come up with the extra scratch now).

When you said a "big lake by city park" were you referring to Lake Ponchartrain (25 mi across), or one of the smaller lakes within the park? The small lakes have a lot of trees around them generally and the water can get pretty stagnant...but it might be worth looking into...I'm trying to remember if there is one big enough to try.

LSU...yes Ponchartrain. How could i forget a name like that? There is an area where Ponchartrain comes near city park. I don't know the compass directions there. Last time i was there it was big wind. There is concrete bags and rocks ramping up to the road. Also a breakwater area where some guys were lauching some old looking windurfing equipment. The water is pretty nasty looking also. Looked like 3 inches of visiblity in brown sooty water.... I assume that a 25 mile lake would have some good lauches though. The gulf is a long drive though isn't it?

Best luck with your new quiver. I am sure you will enjoy whatever you decide on.

Most of the south shore of lake Pontchartrain has cement blocks or a concrete sea wall which makes for difficult launches. There is an area near where I live that is pretty shallow for a ways out though...so I may try wading out and water launching as long as I can maintain enough distance from the sea wall. I haven't explored the remainder of Lake Ponchartrain's shores, but there is bound to be a decent launch somewhere. But since the lake is so big...it would take me 35 or 45 minutes to reach some parts. The gulf is about a 35-45 minute drive from here and offers much better launching conditions.

I have the Nemesis 10-14-18 set right now and weigh 78kgs, that should be around 160lbs !? I have two boards of 126x37cm and 140x38cm.

The winds here in Holland are usually light, most of the good kitedays are 20 knots or lower, but we also have enough days in the 20-25 knots or more.

My experience is that I am pretty OK with the Nemesis 10 and 14 kites, I would not like to replace them, but I think there is a too big overlap between the 18 and the 14, so I am wandering whether I should replace the 18 by a 21?!